Kenya Glasgow and daughter Kennedi were struck as their family tried to get inside a Margate home before a storm intensified.
MARGATE, Fla. — A 31-year-old mother and her 2-year-old daughter died after being struck by lightning Sunday afternoon as their family arrived at a relative’s home in South Florida, authorities and family members said.
Kenya Glasgow and her daughter, Kennedi, were struck at about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 23 in the 7900 block of Northwest First Street in Margate, northwest of Fort Lauderdale. Police and firefighters found the mother and child lying outside and immediately began lifesaving measures, including CPR. Both were taken to hospitals but died shortly after arriving, according to Margate police.
Kameron Glasgow, Kenya’s husband and Kennedi’s father, said the family of four had arrived at his aunt’s home for a family dinner as weather conditions worsened. He said he and his wife were trying to get their twin daughters inside before the storm intensified. Kameron told local reporters that he was close enough to feel an electrical shock through the ground when the lightning struck his wife and daughter.
Kenya Glasgow was taken by Margate Fire Rescue to North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach. Kennedi was taken with a police escort to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Emergency crews and hospital personnel continued efforts to save them, but both were pronounced dead shortly after reaching the hospitals, police said.
Witnesses described a sudden and unusually powerful strike. Prince Moody, who lives nearby, told local television reporters that he heard a loud burst of thunder and saw an orange glow through his window. Authorities have not released a detailed technical account of whether Kenya and Kennedi were hit directly or injured through another form of lightning current. The Margate Police Department said the deaths remained under investigation.
The loss left Kameron Glasgow caring for Kennedi’s surviving twin sister, Kensli. He described Kenya as his longtime partner and high school sweetheart and said they had been together for about 15 years. In interviews and a social media tribute, he remembered his wife for putting other people first and his daughter as an energetic child who loved music. He said his focus now is on supporting Kensli as the family grieves.
The deaths were among a small number of fatal lightning incidents recorded nationwide this year. The National Weather Service’s preliminary 2026 fatality list identifies a 31-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl killed on a sidewalk in Margate on Aug. 23 as the nation’s 11th and 12th direct lightning fatalities of the year. The agency’s data show they were the third and fourth lightning deaths recorded in Florida in 2026.
Lightning fatalities are uncommon even though thunderstorms produce millions of ground strikes across the United States each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 40 million lightning strikes reach the ground nationwide annually, while a person’s chance of being struck in a given year is less than one in a million. Nearly 90% of people struck by lightning survive, according to the agency. The CDC also identifies Florida and other Southeastern states among the areas with the highest lightning risk.
The Margate deaths occurred during the summer season, when lightning fatalities are most common nationally. Federal data show lightning deaths occur disproportionately in the afternoon, when thunderstorms can rapidly develop. The National Weather Service’s 2026 numbers remain preliminary and can change as additional incidents are reviewed and confirmed.
Margate police have not announced any additional findings explaining the exact mechanics of the strike. The department expressed condolences to Kenya and Kennedi’s family as investigators continued reviewing the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.